die
Redaktion
📰 What does "die Redaktion" mean?
The German word die Redaktion primarily has two main meanings:
- The team or department: It refers to the group of people (Redakteurinnen und Redakteure - female and male editors) responsible for the content of a publication (newspaper, magazine, website, TV show, etc.). Example: Die Sportredaktion sitzt im dritten Stock. (The sports editorial team is on the third floor.)
- The place: It can also refer to the office or premises where this team works. Example: Ich muss noch kurz in die Redaktion gehen. (I quickly need to go to the editorial office.)
- The process: Less common, but also possible, it refers to the act of editing, i.e., revising and checking texts. Example: Die Redaktion des Manuskripts dauerte länger als erwartet. (The editing of the manuscript took longer than expected.)
🚨 Important: The word is always feminine (die Redaktion).
🧐 Grammar in Detail: die Redaktion
"Redaktion" is a feminine noun. Here is its declension:
Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (who/what?) | die | Redaktion |
| Genitive (whose?) | der | Redaktion |
| Dative (to whom?) | der | Redaktion |
| Accusative (whom/what?) | die | Redaktion |
Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Redaktionen |
| Genitive | der | Redaktionen |
| Dative | den | Redaktionen |
| Accusative | die | Redaktionen |
📝 Example Sentences
- Die Redaktion hat beschlossen, den Artikel zu veröffentlichen. (The editorial team decided to publish the article.)
- Er arbeitet in der Redaktion einer großen Tageszeitung. (He works in the editorial office/department of a major daily newspaper.)
- Nach der Redaktion war der Text viel klarer. (After the editing process, the text was much clearer.)
- Viele Redaktionen stehen heute unter großem Zeitdruck. (Many editorial teams/offices are under great time pressure today.)
💡 How is "die Redaktion" used?
The term "die Redaktion" is used almost exclusively in the context of media and publications. This includes:
- Newspapers and magazines (Zeitungen und Zeitschriften)
- Online news portals and blogs (Online-Nachrichtenportale und Blogs)
- Book publishers (Buchverlage)
- Radio and television stations (Radio- und Fernsehsender)
People specify the department or team by saying Sportredaktion (sports desk), Politikredaktion (politics desk), Lokalredaktion (local news desk), Online-Redaktion (online editorial team), etc.
In everyday language, "die Redaktion" usually refers to the team or the workplace. The meaning "editing process" is more technical.
Risk of confusion: Sometimes "Redaktion" is confused with "Lektorat" (proofreading/copy-editing department). A Lektorat often checks texts for style and content accuracy (e.g., for books), while a Redaktion typically handles topic selection, research, and writing/revising articles for a specific medium, often under time pressure and according to journalistic criteria.
🧠 Mnemonics for Redaktion
Article Mnemonic: Words ending in "-ion" in German are almost always feminine. Think of: die Aktion (action), die Station (station), die Nation (nation)... and therefore die Redaktion.
Meaning Mnemonic: Think of the action happening in the Redaktion: texts are written (action!), images selected (action!), news disseminated (action!). It's all done by die (feminine 'the') busy group of people in the office.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (similar words):
- For team/department: Redaktionsteam (editorial team), Schriftleitung (editorial management, dated), Redaktionsstab (editorial staff), Redaktionskollegium (editorial board)
- For place: Redaktionsbüro (editorial office), Redaktionsräume (editorial rooms)
- For process: Bearbeitung (processing, editing), Überarbeitung (revision), Redigieren (editing), Lektorieren (proofreading/editing, partially)
Antonyms (opposites):
Direct antonyms are hard to find. Depending on context, one might consider:
- For the process: Rohentwurf (rough draft), Unbearbeitetes (unedited material), Erstfassung (first draft)
- For the team/place: Leserschaft (readership), Publikum (audience) (the receiving end)
⚠️ Similar but different words:
- Lektorat: Often focuses more on stylistic and content checking of manuscripts (e.g., books), less on daily news production.
- Verlag: The entire publishing company; the Redaktion is usually a part of it.
😂 A Little Joke
(DE) Warum nehmen Redakteure immer einen Bleistift mit ins Bett?
... Damit sie ihre Träume umschreiben können! 😄
(EN) Why do editors always take a pencil to bed?
... So they can rewrite their dreams! 😄
✍️ Poem about the Redaktion
(DE)
Wo Worte fließen, Tasten klackern,
Nachrichten jagen, Fakten ackern.
Die Redaktion, ein emsig Team,
Verwandelt Infos in den Tagesstream.
Ob Druckerschwärze oder Screen,
Sie feilen Sätze, wohl und clean.
Termindruck oft, die Zeit verrinnt,
Damit die Welt die News gewinnt.
(EN)
Where words flow, keys clatter fast,
Hunting news, facts meant to last.
Die Redaktion, a busy team,
Turns info into the daily stream.
Be it ink black or on a screen,
They hone each phrase, sharp and clean.
Deadline pressure, time flies past,
So that the world gets news, broadcast.
❓ Riddle
(DE)
Ich habe viele Köpfe, doch kein eigenes Gesicht.
Ich forme Meinungen und bringe Wahrheit ans Licht.
Ich arbeite mit Worten, Bildern, manchmal auch mit Ton,
Zeitdruck ist mein ständiger Lohn.
Mal bin ich ein Raum, mal eine ganze Schar,
Wer bin ich? Na klar:
... Die Redaktion
(EN)
I have many heads, but no face of my own.
I shape opinions and make the truth known.
I work with words, images, sometimes sound,
Time pressure is always around.
Sometimes I'm a room, sometimes a whole crew,
Who am I? It's true:
... The Editorial Office/Team (Die Redaktion)
🧩 Other Information
Word Composition/Origin:
The word "Redaktion" comes from the Latin verb redigere, meaning "to bring back", "to put into a certain state", or "to edit". The suffix "-ion" often denotes a process or result.
Trivia: The term "Chefredaktion" refers to the editorial management or editor-in-chief of a Redaktion.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Redaktion?
The noun "Redaktion" is always feminine. The correct article is die Redaktion. It usually refers to the team of journalists/editors, their office, or the process of editing content.